Fletch(64)
“They were thicker than Elmer’s Glue. Sticky. For years there, you hardly saw one without seeing the other one attached. If they weren’t kissin’, they were holdin’ hands. Here in town we had to widen the sidewalks for them. You couldn’t pry ‘em apart.”
“Alan gave up boxing because of Sally Ann Cushing?”
“As the old song says, ‘Love walked in.’ She set him on his ass like no long-armed middleweight ever did. He gave up boxing. He almost gave up everything, including breathing normally, for that girl. We had a hard time gettin’ him to go to school.”
“What happened?”
“Well, he went to Colgate and she went to Skidmore.”
“They’re reasonably close together, aren’t they? I mean, as colleges?”
“Scandalously close. That’s why the kids picked ‘em. And every weekend they came home and continued being a sexual inspiration to us all. You never saw two kids so in love.”
“So why didn’t they get married?”
“They did, but not to each other. Spring of their senior year in college, Sally Ann was visibly pregnant. I do believe my wife noticed it before Alan. Naturally, we thought it was Alan. We thought it was Alan’s kid. It wasn’t. I guess their relationship had been as pure as the driven snow. Alan was shaken to his foundation. The kid was caused by a man named Bill Cavanaugh, a town boy. Sally Ann said that she had had too much to drink at a party here in town one night, while Alan was at school, and Cavanaugh had driven her home. She said he had taken advantage of her. She insisted it happened only once, but as Mother Goose said, once is enough. At least it was that time. Or, more likely, she wasn’t telling the truth. I’ve always suspected she was a little impatient with my son. You know, Alan always played everything remarkably straight. There comes a time when a girl wants to get laid, and I suspect Alan was keeping the girl he intended to marry as untried as next year’s car.”
“So Sally Ann Cushing married Cavanaugh?”
“Yup. And Alan took up flying those damn-fool aircraft. Between the boxing and the flying, there was a hot and heavy romance with Sally Ann Cushing. Frankly, I think my son has always had a bit of a death urge. Although I suppose I shouldn’t tell you that. Your bein’ his insurance man. A bit of the daredevil, except when it came to young love. He treated that very carefully. A bit too carefully, I’d say.”
“This explains a lot.”
“Does this explain that small bequest on the insurance policy?”
“Yes. The name is Sally Ann Cushing Cavanaugh.”
“That’s good. She’s a nice girl. I’ve always been a bit in love with her myself. Cavanaugh is a skunk, I’ve always thought. Never have liked him. The boy, young Bill, is about twelve years old now. One or the other frequently comes in the store, Sally Ann or young Bill. I feel toward them almost like family. Despite the pregnancy, Alan and Sally Ann still thought of getting married. But Cavanaugh had his rights, and he exerted them. Sally Ann was quite a catch for him. He’s in the insurance business, like you, only he’s no good at it.”
“The Cavanaughs still live in Nonheagan?”
“Well, yes and no. That’s what I was going to tell you. I can’t be too sure of Sally Ann’s address at this point.”
“Why not?”
“Sally Ann and Bill Cavanaugh got divorced a while back. I’m not sure exactly when. There was a separation. I know they were getting divorced, and she must have gotten it, because she sold her house and left town, taking the boy with her.”
“When? When did she leave town?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
“Yup. They sold everything. Furniture, washer, dryer, beds and kitchenware. There was no moving van at all. She and the boy packed suitcases and took a taxi to the airport. It’s a bit of a mystery around here. According to my wife, they were very vague about where they were going. The kid said he was going to go live on the West Coast—out somewhere near you. In California. I expect that after almost thirteen years of marriage to that bum Cavanaugh, she just wanted to burn her bridges behind her. Find a new life somewhere. Anyway, be shut of this town. Cavanaugh gave her a pretty rough time.”
“Mr. Stanwyk, thank you very much.”
“Well, if there’s any question about that little bequest to Sally Ann, you be a good fella and see that she gets what Alan wants to give her. Sally Ann is a wonderful person, and she’s had a rotten time.”
“One other question: when your son would visit you in Nonheagan, did he ever see Sally Ann?”